Connect tourists to our culture: Kulang

THE tourism industry should not only be about bringing tourists into the country to make money but to showcase its culture and heritage, former Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tobias Kulang says.
He said the culture showed visitors “our heritage and who we are in this part of the world”.
Kulang formally handed over the reins to his successor, Emil Tamur, on Wednesday.
“When I came to this ministry, I began to realise how important it was,” Kulang said.
“It should not always be about bringing visitors to the country and making money out of it. Our culture represents how we existed and how we have evolved over time.”
Tourism Promotion Authority chief executive Jerry Agus said tourism had been recognised in terms of funding in recent years.
“Tourism has never been thought of as one of the key economic sectors since independence. The government’s key documents like the medium-term development plan, medium-term development strategy,  government’s vision 2050, and recently the Alotau Accord 2 are just starting to feature tourism as one of the key economic sectors,” he said.